Love ...

Happy Valentine's Day. Granted it's a questionable holiday for many. But whether you have romantic love or not, shouldn't be the point. If you are living, functioning and on this earth chances are you love someone on some level and someone loves you. Celebrate. I wouldn't be surprised to hear in a couple of years that scientists "discover" that what really makes the sun rise and set and the earth spin is simply the love that is given and received day to day. It has to create some kind of energy --some power.

Also Valentine's Day is the pink and red holiday - I just love those colors.
(I recently discovered spray glitter and sprayed these hymn paintings with it once I was done. Soft shimmery sparkles. They made the ink of the hymn paper run a bit, but I like it.)

I bought myself green roses today - chartreuse green. So different and fun.

Do something pink for someone. Wear red lipstick. Chew pink bubble gun and blow bubbles. Tell a stranger he/she looks nice. make yourself a valentine. Smile while you are crying. Love starts out simply I think. Sometimes the hardest person to show love to is yourself. We are so critical and hard on ourselves (Actually that previous sentence should have started with "I") Love feels so complicated and mysterious at times. But for the most part I think it's simple. It's hard to act when you don't "feel" love. But the action is love whether the feeling is there or not. So today Love yourself, love another. Just try a day of ONLY LOVE.

A GREAT DAY

No matter your politics - this is a GREAT day. The inauguration of Barack Obama should scream to every American that we are a country of change and possibility. In 1991 and 1992 I was an English teacher in China. Even though I went there to "help" a handful of soon to be English teachers, I received alot of life lessons myself. What broke my heart was learning that so many of my students did not want to be teachers. The had NO CHOICE. Of course there were some that were happy about being a teachers, others who felt lucky, but the ones who wanted to be something else really struggled with their plight. Because I was an International Studies Major in College I understood what communism was, but it wasn't until my year in China I saw the effects of communism on individuals. I realized what a huge opportunity I had by just being a citizen of the United States. When I returned to the U.S. ( and I was anxious to do so) a year later I enrolled in a graduate program for screen and script writing. No, life may not be always what I dream. But I am sooooooo glad I live in a country where I am allowed to dream and allowed to pursue my dreams. GOD BLESS AMERICA! Click here to learn more about this painting.

Angel Band

Christmas holds so many different emotions. For the kids its full of excitement at every corner and just plain old fun. My memory of childhood Christmas' seems almost magical. Some point - probably around college Christmas became stressful - really stressful. I remember my freshman year of college - my first time living away from my family I got sick during finals. The barfing kind of sick where I was up all night over a toilet bowl or beside it even when there was nothing left inside of me, I kept on trying. It felt like my body was trying to rid me of my stomach itself. I'm sure that anything that wasn't fastened inside my body would have come out. (Yes a little too graphic for a nice watercolor blog I know) and my floor RA took me to the emergency room but found nothing - just stress.... hmmm what do I do with that? How do I fix that? So through the years, Christmas time probably has been the most stressful time of year for me and many others. I have no answers to solving this dilemma. I guess the painting does help. But I find I'm too busy to paint, to think, to be. I become Amy "Super Doer".
This Christmas I'm missing my grandpa. It's been nearly three years since he passed but I notice his absence more than I did right when he died. I painted this angel on the hymn we sang at his funeral "Angel Band". For so many Christmas is a blue and dark time. I hope that somewhere in the darkness you find a shimmering star. Just look... you will find it.

Another Etsy Shop

I've recently been having fun doing some quick little watercolors on old hymns. I love painting on old papers and hope this is the first of many fun "side" projects. I like doing these while I'm taking a break in front of the TV. Check out my new Etsy shop and tell me what you think. I've also decided to try out Ebay - though I'm not as familiar with this arena for selling original art. Still, I have to give things a try and see what happens. You can't really fail if you don't try. So check my eBay store out as well. I'm always welcome to any suggestions.